Here is an interesting thread that was started today. It started as a "shot" at "somebody across the water" but quickly turned into a educational thread. And who better to educate us, then one of the Deans of the subject of elephants. Until the censorship started that is. Then it turned into a football game with hand offs, pitches, laterals, and reverses.
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BMills1
19 comments:
The next post which never ran said:
Buckles,
In the studies that have been done, it was found that pairs of elephants, or herds stabled beside each other on the same "substrate" their whole lives, some had the "malady" of the paralyzed "beak/trunk" and some did not. It has been suggested that the "affliction", might be behavioral as most, or a large percentage of the animals with it had/have other behavioral issues, such as running, slugging, belligerence, or attacking, suggesting that it might have something else besides a vitamin deficiency accounting for it.
Thank you,
Wade Burck
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History is to be learned from, so that it is not repeated, is a statement quoted in the past by a gentleman more learned then myself. When fans, lovers of this thing of ours, and the new generation of animal trainers starts whining about being pick on, singled out, unfairly targeted, by the zealots, radicals(yes, "some" are, but not all), they need to accept that there may have been a lot in this world to work with. It may make their labor of love more worthwhile, and important. It is about the animals after all, and not just saving an industry. It is hard to accept that something is not perfect, and that the house was dirty. The sooner that is realized, not hidden or ignored over friendships, the soon history will not repeat, and the house will no longer be dirty, and it will be spotless clean.
Wade Burck
Posts
2 up and 4 down. Is this good training or not training enough?
Bob Kitto
A good example of the number of elephants from across the water with "paralized beaks". Seems like more than we had in this country. Wonder why? I believe if they could have "trunked up" the great trainer, Mr. Gindle, would have had them doing just that. I note that he also trained great "liberty horses" and Zebras, etc.
Johnny,
What causes a "paralyzed beak?" And why point out the ones across the water? There are a load of those "beaks" right here in the good old USA.
Regards,
Wade Burck
Col. they also seem to be prolapsed.....at least the one on the veiwers left....and by the way they are standing..I will assume they all are...Yet I remember seeing a Photo with you and 3 punks a few weeks ago...not all were trunked up....was that due to the photographers timing...or were they paralized also??...The reason I am pointing this out is so Folks don't assume they are paralized by only seeing them in a photo with there trunks not up...When one looks at a Elephant photo a educated eye will see more....Jim Zajicek P.S. I believe the trunks worked fine on the punks..I assume they were sniffin the jelly-beans in your pocket......
Jim Zijcek,
Excellent. I was wondering when the prolapse was going to be pointed out, once the trunks were, and someone with your "limited knowledge" saw it. Or wanted to see it. Well done. Notice the sides on the elephant on the end. Did you ever see another one with ribs that bulged like that?
I watched a trainer I admire very much, retire a stiff legged elephant, with a tear in his eye, and the vow, "I will never teach an elephant to do a teeterboard again. That kind of integrity is awful rare. How important is experience. The training of the behavior, or knowing the end result years later, and not training it.
Wade Burck
Johnny or Buckles,
You've both been around awhile, and are probably more qualified then any of us to address this. What causes a "paralyzed beak/trunk?" Hawthorns big five act had two out of the five exhibiting the behavior, and I believe they made one trip across the water.
I have noted it more in elephants from one "particular" country, so it might be "regional."
I have always been of the opinion that this comes from a vitamin deficiency. Elephants with mud shows that move from town to town seven days a week have the fewest number with this malady since they get ample grazing, including the dirt, at a variety of locations.
Elephants that stand on boards most of their lives are denied this and appear to show a higher number of weak trunks.
Buckles,
Excellent. Your observation of "boards" also point to the island nation, not Europe, where the malady is most prevalent, but doesn't address concrete floors of coliseums.
The vitamin deficiency can be reversed, if done soon enough, but as you noted mud show elephants can still have it. Will "trauma" to the weakened muscle turn it into a permanent disfigurement, as has been noted in studies.
Thank you,
Wade Burck